Integrated circuits are particularly sensitive to disturbances, such as electrostatic disturbances, that may greatly impair the operation of the circuits. These electrostatic disturbances impact the integrated circuit in the form of excess positive or negative charges. These excess charges may be discharged by lines enabling the circuit leading to the core of the integrated circuit to be short-circuited so as not to create a build up of charge at a vital point of the circuit, thereby preventing the core of the circuit from being damaged.
To discharge such a surplus of charge from the circuit, it may be necessary to construct an electrical path that is less resistive than the electrical path circuit leading to the core of the integrated circuit so as to favor the flow of surplus charges through this path rather than through the circuit leading to the core of the integrated circuit.
For this purpose, it is typical for the person skilled in the art to make a circuit for protecting an integrated circuit from electrostatic discharges with the aid of a short-circuiting switch comprising a field-effect transistor arranged in parallel with a diode and controlled by a time triggering circuit, known as a metal oxide semiconductor switch (MOSSWI). This technology is nonetheless space consuming in terms of silicon real estate consumed in the integrated circuit.
In view of the foregoing, it may be desirable that the effectiveness of the circuit for protecting the integrated circuit against electrostatic discharges be improved and that the size of this additional circuit, which is helpful to the operation of the integrated circuit, be reduced.